Dr Lawrence Muganga, the Vice Chancellor of Victoria University and newly appointed State Minister for Internal Affairs, is at the centre of a legal and political storm barely days after his cabinet appointment — with a formal challenge filed demanding he be removed from office over alleged dual citizenship.
The challenge has been raised by Deric Namakajo, Deputy Secretary General of the Democratic Front, who has written to the Clerk of Parliament and copied President Yoweri Museveni and Security Minister Jim Muhwezi, arguing that Muganga’s holding of foreign citizenship disqualifies him from serving in cabinet under Uganda’s Citizenship and Immigration Control Act.
“The Ministry of Internal Affairs being responsible for immigration and citizenship matters requires undivided national allegiance and fidelity to the Republic of Uganda.”
What the law says
Uganda does permit dual citizenship in general. However, the Citizenship and Immigration Control Act draws a clear line when it comes to public office. The Fifth Schedule of the Act explicitly bars dual citizens from occupying certain positions — among them the presidency, prime minister, cabinet ministers, and ministers of state. Muganga’s new role as State Minister for Internal Affairs falls squarely within that list.
If the allegations are substantiated, his appointment would be in direct conflict with the law — regardless of Presidential endorsement.
Offices barred to dual citizens (Fifth Schedule)
- President and Vice President
- Prime Minister
- Cabinet Ministers
- Ministers of State
The Canada connection
Muganga has deep ties to Canada, where he previously served as a policy advisor for the Government of Alberta and as project manager at the Edmonton Multicultural Coalition. Documents circulating online indicate he registered for dual Ugandan-Canadian citizenship as recently as November 2024 — just months before his cabinet appointment.
Muganga’s background adds further complexity. He also worked with the Rwanda Revenue Authority and was at one point identified as a Rwandan national. In 2021, at a time of heightened political tension between Kampala and Kigali, Ugandan immigration authorities arrested him at Victoria University on allegations of espionage and illegal stay in the country. He was subsequently released without formal charges being preferred against him.
For the campus community, the controversy carries an added dimension: Muganga has been a prominent figure in Uganda’s higher education landscape as VC of Victoria University. His appointment to a ministerial role overseeing immigration — the very function through which citizenship is regulated — has struck critics as particularly sensitive given the dual citizenship question.
Parliament and the Presidency are yet to issue formal responses to Namakajo’s petition. The matter is likely to generate significant debate when Parliament next sits.
